Uncoupling device for cars.



L. S. QUENSEL. UNGOUPLING DEVICE FOR CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1911. RENEWED DEG. 8, 1913.

1,085,940. I Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

COLUMRIA PLANOGRAPH COWWASHIN GGGGGGG c.

LESTER S. QUENSEL, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

UNCOUPLING DEVICE FOR CARS.

' Specification of Letterslatent.

Application filed May 5, 1911, Serial No, 625,190.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

Renewed December 8, 1913. Serial No. 805,433.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LESTER S. QUENSEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Uncoupling Devices for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to provide certain improvements in the construction of uncoupling lever-mechanism for railway-cars, with a view to rendering the same particularly simple, strong, durable and well adapted for its purpose.

In the drawingFigure 1 is a plan view of the uncoupling device applied to a freight-car end; Fig. 2, a view of the same in front elevation; and Fig. 8, a side elevation of the same.

The uncoupling shaft d is journaled in brackets 5, 6 secured against the end-sill 7 of the car-frame. The shaft is bent along its inner end-portion to form the horizontally extending arm 8, and is bent along its outer end-portion to form the downwardly extending operating crank or handle 9 provided with the bend 10.

The numeral 11 designates a bar bent, as indicated, to form the downwardly-inclined outer end-portion 12 provided with an opening through it for the shaft 4, a looped portion 13 forming a shoulder resting upon the shaft 4:, and an angular portion 14; resting upon or extending across the path of the arm 8. The inner end of the bar 11 is formed with a hook 15 engaging the eye of the locking-pin 16, the hook-forming endportion of the bar being tapered, and also inclined laterally with relation to the body of the bar, as indicated in Fig. 1. The bend 10 in the handle bears normally against the surface of the sill 7 to hold the handle-portion 9 vertical and cause the arm 8 to extend horizontally.

By swinging the handle 9 tothe right in Fig. 3 the shaft 4 is turned to raise the arm 8 and through the latter to raise the bar 11 on the pivot formed by the shaft 4 and lift the locking-pin to unlock the coupler 17 in the usual manner.' To compensate for the lateral swinging of the draw-bar, carrying the coupler 17, when the car is rounding curves, it is necessary that the bar 11 should slide readily along the shaft 4:, and to admit of this the opening through the part 12 should be materially larger than the diameter of the shaft.

My improved uncoupling-device differs only in certain details of construction from other devices for the same purposes commonly employed on railway-cars, and my improvements are intended to overcome certain faults which experience has rendered apparent in the uncoupling devices hitherto provided. For example, it happens quite frequently in railway practice, and especially in the case of very long and heavy trains, that drawbars are pulled out causing breakage of the uncoupling devices and the dropping of the pin-raising bar upon the track, with attendant danger of derailing the cars. By providing the shoulder formed by the loop 13 in the bar 11, and causing it to rest upon the shaft 4, the bar 11 when lifted by the arm 8 is prevented from turning between its ends without lifting the locking-pin; and in case that the drawbar is pulled out as before stated, the bar 11 when swung past the end of the arm 8 will turn on its pivot at 12 in a manner to cause the inclined hook 15 to release itself from the looking pin to avoid breaking of the bar 11, and cause the latter to hang suspended from the shaft 1 instead of being cast upon the roadbed.

The foregoing description is intended to convey a clear understanding of my improvements in what I now believe to be the best form of their embodiment, and no undue limitation should be understood therefrom. It is my intention to claim all that is novel in my invention, and that the claim shall be construed as broadly as the prior state of the art may warrant.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In an uncoupling-device for car-couplers, the combination with the car-frame and locking-pin, of a 1'0ck-shaft, journaled gaging said shaft, and provided, between its in bearings on the car-frame, formed With a outer end and the path of said arm, With a 10 harildle at its outer end anal a lzlzterglly-exshoulder resting against said shaft. ten in arm at its inner en am a ar, be 5 tween i ts ends extending in the path of said LESTER QUENSEL' arm, at its inner end releasably engaging I In presence ofsaid locking-pin, provided at its outer end I A. U. THQRIEN, with means for pivotally and slidably en- R. A. SCHAEFER.

Copies of thin patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Iatentn.

Washington, .D. 0. 

